IPL 2021, KKR vs SRH: Williamson elects to bat first
Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad are taking on each other in the 49th match of 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium is hosting the evening encounter of Sunday's double-header. KKR would want to be on the fourth spot with a win, while SRH could be the party spoilers. Kane Williamson has won the toss and decided to bat.
Head-to-head: KKR 13-7 SRH
The Knight Riders have dominated Hyderabad as far as the IPL head-to-head record is concerned. In 20 matches between the two sides, KKR have managed to win 13 with a win percentage of 65. On the other hand, SRH have earned seven victories against KKR with a win percentage of 35. Notably, KKR have won four of the last five matches against SRH.
Pitch report and TV listing
The evening game is being held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The surface here has been relatively easier for the batters. Besides, there is also help for both seamers and spinners. There will likely be some movement on offer for the pacers. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on the Hotstar app (paid subscription).
What happened in the last encounter?
KKR faced SRH in their opening game, earlier in the season. Nitish Rana's blistering knock (80 off 56) propelled KKR to 187/6 in 20 overs. Rahul Tripathi also smashed a fiery 29-ball 53. The Orange Army were off to a shaky start but Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow brought them back. The duo couldn't get SRH home as KKR won by 10 runs.
A look at the two teams
Kolkata Knight Riders playing XI: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Varun Chakaravarthy Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI: Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, Siddarth Kaul
Shakib gets a game for KKR; SRH hands Malik debut
KKR have included star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in place of Tim Seifert. SRH have decided to give Umran Malik his debut. Notably, Malik was a net bowler and was a replacement for T Natarajan, who was impacted by COVID-19.
